Trump seeks to boost Darline Graham in South Carolina homestretch

President Trump is seeking to give Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.) a final boost as her candidacy hits a road bump in the race to replace her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

Trump will hit the campaign trail Friday for Darline Graham, whom he appointed to fill out her brother’s term, ahead of her runoff election in the GOP primary Tuesday against Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.).

The race will stand as a test for the strength of Trump’s endorsement as Graham, a political novice, enters the arena.

Her inexperience was on full display on the debate stage Tuesday, when she flubbed a national security question, drawing attacks on her fitness to serve in the Senate.

Trump and Graham are slated to campaign in Myrtle Beach, which is home to former Senate candidate Rep. Russell Fry’s (R-S.C.) district. Fry lost his bid for Senate in the initial Republican primary election to replace Graham and did not advance, making his support base critical for Norman and Graham.

“Myrtle Beach is the exact correct place for them to go. It is the heart of Russell Fry’s district and home to probably the largest population of persuadable voters that we expect will be voting,” said Mick Mulvaney, who served in Trump’s first administration and represented South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District in the House.

“Trump will obviously carry a lot of weight. But how much remains to be seen. Polling indicates that maybe only 40 percent of voters put a lot of weight on his endorsement,” he continued.

“That, combined with her astonishingly poor performance in the debate earlier this week, may make this race much closer than people realize,” he said.

During her primary debate against Norman on Tuesday, Graham was asked how Taiwan and the South China Sea are national security issues. Graham admitted “national security is not” her thing but that she supports the military.

The answer marked a stark contrast between her and her late brother, who was seen as a key foreign policy leader in the Senate. It was also met with immediate criticism from Norman and his allies.

“Lindsey Graham was well informed on the United States’ national security. Darline Graham admits she’s not. This is not something you inherit. And it’s critical in the U.S. Senate,” former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who ran against Trump in 2024 and is supporting Norman, said in a post on X.

Norman told Kellie Meyer of NewsNation that Graham’s debate response was “serious.”

“What is more serious is who she is getting supported by is everything I’m against,” he added.

Graham sought to clean up the comment during a sit-down interview on Fox News’s “Hannity” Wednesday, casting herself at the opposite of a career politician.

“I have said many times I’m not a politician, certainly not a career politician. I don’t speak politician,” Graham said.

Maggie Knox, a South Carolina GOP official who is not endorsing in the primary, characterized Graham’s answer as “an honest response.”

“Could she have answered that better? Absolutely,” Knox told The Hill. “I had breakfast with someone this morning and she said, ‘I liked it that she didn’t pretend like she knew something she didn’t. That was kind of refreshing.’”

Graham walks into Tuesday with an advantage from Trump’s endorsement and her status as Lindsey Graham’s sister. Trump won the state by nearly 18 points in 2024, by 11 points in 2020, and by 14 points in 2016.

“Without Trump, Darline wouldn’t have a chance,” Mulvaney said. “And by that, I mean she’d be polling at very low, single digits.”

A source with Graham’s campaign told The Hill that her team is relying on more than just the president’s backing to get across the finish line.

“It opens a door, but it doesn’t walk you through it,” the source said, referring to Trump’s endorsement as “the gold standard” in politics.

“People want to know that their candidate is going to work with President Trump, and that’s as, if not more, important than the endorsement,” the source said, citing Graham’s work since being appointed to the Senate by Trump.

While Trump’s endorsement is objectively helpful, he does not have a perfect record in this cycle.

Earlier this week, Trump took losses when Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) lost his primary race, as well as his endorsed candidate for Florida’s 19th Congressional District.

Rep. Andy Ogles (R), who was backed by Trump, also lost his primary in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District along with Rep. Randy Feenstra (R) in Iowa’s gubernatorial primary and Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R) in Georgia’s gubernatorial primary.

Trump issued a rare double endorsement of South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R) in June after Evette, his initial pick, failed to avoid a runoff election and later lost.

While Norman has supported Trump’s second administration, he notably endorsed Haley over Trump for president in 2024. Additionally, as a member of the fiscally conservative House Freedom Caucus, Norman and his colleagues have not been afraid to push back on the administration and House Republican leadership.

The source with Graham’s campaign argued that Norman would be “a caucus of one” and does not want to work with the president.

Norman told NewsNation his support for Trump is “unwavering.”

“Do I need a call? No. I’ll support him regardless because I believe in what he’s doing,” the congressman said.

“The Senate has been the graveyard for every good thing [Trump] wants,” he said, adding that like Trump, he would like to “blow up” the filibuster.

The winner of Tuesday’s runoff will go on to face Democratic candidate Annie Andrews in November.

“I think a lot of South Carolinians are looking at this and thinking who is more likely able to go against Annie Andrews and come out on top,” Knox said.

Andrews faces an uphill climb in the red state. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race as solid Republican. However, nationally Republicans are facing headwinds amid Trump’s declining approval ratings and rising Democratic enthusiasm.

Trump’s approval rating in South Carolina sits at 42 percent, according to a Civiqs tracking poll .

“We know that this is a tough midterm. We know that we are up against a voting public that is certainly battling some voter fatigue, and we are trying to energize our party but it’s a tough row to hoe, I’m not going to lie,” Knox said.

“Are we super worried about Annie Andrews? No, but are we going to play it like we have it in the bag? Absolutely not,” she said.